As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for such systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Networking systems may facilitate connections that enable the information handling system (IHS) to communicate with external devices. External devices may include peripheral devices, such as printers, cameras, or other IHSs. Typically, networking systems create connections using a protocol known as a communications stack. The communications stack may include multiple layers, each of which may address a portion of the protocol that the network systems use to create and operate the network connection.
The IHS typically starts a connection from the lower end of the stack, working up to the higher levels to operate the connection. Once the lower levels of the stack are operational, the IHS may signal to the user that the connection is available. However, if the higher levels of the stack are not operational, the user may receive an error message in response to attempts to use the connection. As such, if lower levels of the networking stack become operational, and the higher layers do not, the user may receive an error message while believing the connection is readily available, which may lead to a poor user experience and wasted time.
In the example of a wireless printing scenario, a personal digital assistant (PDA), may be established to print a document wirelessly over a network. In order to print, both hardware devices, the PDA and printer, need to discover and connect to one another and require an interface for communication. Thus, at layer 1, the physical interaction between the PDA and printer hardware is established, which will enable layer 2, a data link layer, to establish access among the hardware devices. Should there be a connectivity issue at layer 3, such as a compatibility service to indicate that the printer cannot connect since the desired format is not support, poor customer experience and wasted time may result.
Thus, a need exists for r methods and systems for creating network connections that conserve user resources and improve the user experience. In particular, to expedite the process of device connectivity, an intelligent exchange may need to occur at a lower layer, such as when a device-to-device connection is being established.